by Yves Ephraim

WHO SUFFERS THE CONSEQUENCES?

In an October 15th ceremony, where the Booby Alley apartments were officially handed over to the

government

of Antigua and Barbuda, this country’s Prime Minister made the following statement:

“We must stand in any forum, all forums and defend the friendship with the People’s Republic of China; and I add here too, that even if it comes with consequences. Because at the end of the day when we needed help to build out our socio-economic infrastructure it is the People’s Republic of China, that stood with us…”

Elsewhere, this same prime minister has offered to accept twenty-eight deportees a year from the USA for an unknown number of years; even after learning from Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, that pedophiles and rapists are among those that the USA wishes to deport to willing countries.

As I consider both positions taken above by the Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, there is ONE undeniable common theme in these decisions.

That one common theme is that the interests of Antiguans and Barbudans always remain subordinate to outside interests.

The irony of all this, is that the same Antigua and Barbuda government that is not willing to refuse the acceptance of US deportees in the defense of the safety of Antiguans and Barbudans, is passionately willing to suffer the wrath of the same US in the defense of China.

In as much as we are grateful to China for its gifts and support, should our gratefulness translate into sacrificing our survival in the defense of China in it own fight with the US?

It appears that our leaders, as an expression of gratitude to China, would rather risk our country being blockaded by the US in the same way as Cuba than preserve our very own survival.

If a stranger helped you at a time of hardship, even though you are immensely grateful, would you think nothing of offering your innocent children to go before a firing squad in place of that stranger to appease that stranger’s enemy?

Is blood not thicker than water?

Are the Antigua and Barbudan people, who have elevated these leaders, not more important than outsiders?

Did these leaders not recently pledge allegiance to defend the people of Antigua and Barbuda?

Why then are our leaders callously and openly willing to defend others over Antiguans and Barbudans?

This is totally unnatural.

Are our leaders behaving like Lord Farguaad of Shrek movie fame, who was willing to make the sacrifice even though he had nothing to lose personally?

Who will really suffer? The leaders of this country or you?

You must be mindful, that our leaders have diplomatic passports that give them unrestricted travel privileges for meetings, medical assistance and whatever else, even to the US, where the rest of us are forbidden to enter.

Do not forget that you and I and the rest of Antigua and Barbuda will always pay these leaders’ bills.

To add insult to injury, these same leaders are exempted from the impact of the very taxes they impose on you and me.

After all, was all this help from China not for the benefit and interests of the Antiguan and Barbudan people?

Or were we mistaken?

In my second example relating to the acceptance of deportees from the US who may be rapists and pedophiles, the safety of the people of Antigua and Barbuda is, again, sacrificed.

The safety of children and women in Antigua and Barbuda are to be sacrificed to facilitate the assimilation of pedophiles and rapists into our community to appease the US government.

Our government has tried relentlessly to gaslight you and me into thinking that this is a humanitarian gesture, while at the same time it rejects outright the acceptance of Haitian refugees who are part of Caricom.

Here is the conundrum: our government will not accept a Haitian refugee as a member of Caricom but it will accept the same Haitian as a deportee from the US.

Somebody needs to explain the difference!

It appears to me that again and again, the outside interests are always put before the welfare and interests of the people of Antigua and Barbuda.

Even with CHOGM, I am trying to wrap my head around how ordinary people of Antigua and Barbuda, like you and me, stand to benefit?

Again, we are asked to make a sacrifice.

Can you imagine that over $25M of tax payer money was expended on a center that probably would not be used more than12 times a year? Could that money not have been used to repair the out of service MRI machines?

We have been asked to pay 40% more to licence our vehicles and what is the net gain for this sacrifice?

I am not naïve, I do know that some individuals will certainly benefit immensely but how will the other 99,900 people benefit long term from CHOGM, given this lavish outlay of tax funds?

We are all going to be inconvenienced by shutdowns in St. John’s. How many honest local businesses have been negatively affected by temporary road closures already?

And all this is happening in a very inflationary economic environment: 100% plus increase in electricity costs; 24% plus increase in fuel prices at the pump; grocery prices are through the roof.

In the midst of all this, if you have a medical problem that our local hospital cannot handle, your goose is cooked. You cannot even travel to the USA for emergency treatment. The latter was even acknowledged this week by our own Minister of Foreign Affairs.

If our own University of the West Indies campus does not provide the education interest of your children, then accessing a university close by in the USA is out of the question, for the foreseeable future.

The difficulties we all have to just open a bank account almost makes it impossible to participate in the economy.

Our leaders have simply acquiesced to world powers, not defending Antiguans and Barbudans rights to participate in the economic opportunities in the world.

You and I have been relegated to servitude with the blessings of our leaders.

Even the beach where we would go for that mental relief and bodily relaxation, is gradually being taken away from you and me and given to outsiders.

As an Antiguan and Barbudan, your interests have been consistently being sacrificed for the interest of outsiders.

I am grappling to find evidence that my life in Antigua and Barbuda has improved over the last 10 years.

Maybe you have had a different experience.  Perhaps you would like to share specifically what your wonderful experience has been these last 10 years.

Do you enjoy living in a country where those for whom you voted, keep putting the interests of outsiders above yours?

Antigua and Barbuda are you happy being the one who has to always suffer the consequences?

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: OPINION : Who Suffers the Consequences?.